7. The New Kingdom

When sharing the excitement of his son’s safe return, the father exclaimed, “This son of mine was lost, but now he is found, he was dead, but now he is alive!” (Luke 15:24).

Was he dead physically? No, he was able to walk, talk, and embrace his father. The Father was declaring that his rebellious young son was dead spiritually, and now, after traveling the road of repentance, he was given eternal, spiritual life! Receiving spiritual life is referred to throughout scripture as being “born again” or “born from above” (John 3:5-7). What Adam and Eve lost in the garden was life. What the Father restores to repentant children is eternal, spiritual life! 

The most invaluable gift the young son receives when he returns to his father is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for the father’s embrace is Epipipto, the same word for when the Holy Spirit “falls upon” Christ’s disciples in Jerusalem, empowering them to live in a new way (Acts 2:3). Although God meets you where you are, he loves you too much to keep you that way. Not only does the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin, but He also dwells inside those who put their faith in God’s restorative plan, spiritually uniting them with Jesus Christ.

The Bible clarifies, “When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give you everything he promised and that he has purchased you to be his own people” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The young son no longer needed to fear physical death — he is now alive spiritually and promised everlasting life! Eternal life is not something you get when you die, but rather a present-day gift you receive when you place your faith in Jesus Christ (John 11:25-26). 

By the son’s single act of faith and repentance, he was reconciled to God and officially transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). In Christ, the young son is now secure in the new kingdom as an adopted, accepted, and celebrated child of God! What was severed in “The Fall” has now been restored through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

The Holy Spirit provides adopted children the desire to live in obedience to the Father and the power to walk in new life. Like a seed planted in healthy soil, genuine faith produces the natural evidence of spiritual growth. No longer led by a broken internal compass and slaves to sin, adopted children now have the supernatural ability to obey the Holy Spirit, grow in faith, and ultimately become more Christlike.

CHAPTER INDEX: Introduction | The Prodigal Story | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Who are you in God’s Story?